Reyna really regretted going to this party. First, Piper lived in a three-story house. The damn thing could have been classified as a mansion. Second, Reyna didn't know anyone there, and her escort to the party insisted on introducing her to everyone. And, who was her escort? Annabeth fucking Chase.

It might have been petty for Reyna to hold onto her grudge over Annabeth's comments, but she hated people who brought up her facial scar. It didn't help that anytime Reyna stepped into the bar, she felt Annabeth's eyes on her. Even when Reyna helped them clean up while she waited for a ride, the woman just stared at her.

The worst part was that Annabeth was trying to be nice to her and attempting to make conversation. All Reyna could do was mutter one word responses.

Reyna shifted uncomfortably as she followed Annabeth towards a table full of food. While her stomach was rumbling from the smell alone, she was stressed out too much from meeting new people to even eat.

Reyna knew most of the names and faces from the bars. The only people she didn't know that well were the ones who worked before she got there, but she saw them in passing. Now, there were a lot of people here. Reyna counted at least twenty-five people, and she shifted uncomfortably.

"I can introduce you to everyone," Annabeth offered suddenly. Reyna glanced at the blonde and then shook her head. She made her way towards the table that had different kinds of refreshments. Reyna grabbed a can of soda and quietly popped the lid.

"Reyna! You made it!" Piper greeted enthusiastically. Reyna tensed and slowly turned to look at Piper. The host of the party smiled brightly. "Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone."

"I don-"

Reyna's words were cut off as Piper gently grabbed her arm and pulled her towards a crowd of people. She recognized Percy from their encounter in the store. Right by Percy's legs was Estelle. Upon seeing Reyna, a bright smile came to Estelle's face.

"Reyna!" Estelle called as she peeled herself from Percy and ran towards Reyna. The toddler threw herself at Reyna and hugged her tightly.

"Hey, kiddo," Reyna said after a few moments. She looked at Percy and tried to peel the toddler away from her. When that didn't work, she gently patted the girl's head.

"Estelle," Sally called. Reyna slowly looked up at the older woman. Estelle immediately pulled away from Reyna and hurried back towards her mother. "Reyna, how are you doing?"

"I'm good," Reyna mumbled after a few moments. She felt herself tensing but tried to stop. These people weren't going to hurt her. They were her coworkers or friends of the bar.

"I guess you already know Estelle and Sally. And Percy, of course," Piper said as she motioned to them. Reyna's eyes focused on Percy. The merman was standing next to Sally and had a small smile on his face. Another man stood behind them.

The man had salt and pepper hair that looked freshly cut. He wore jeans and a sweater vest. Percy spoke, "Reyna, this is my stepfather Paul. And Paul, meet Reyna."

"It's nice to meet you," Paul greeted as he held out his hand. Reyna slowly shook it. "Estelle loves talking about you."

Reyna nodded, unable to find her voice. She felt her ears almost twitch as she listened. It was easy to hear that most of the conversation had quieted down, and she wasn't sure why. Reyna stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket and shifted uncomfortably. She just wanted to be out of here.

Why did she agree to come to this party? She should have just stayed at Chiron's place or even offered to help him clean. That was something else that bothered her. Why didn't he want to come to this party? Why did he want to clean the bar by himself?

Another hand grabbed her arm, and she almost flinched. She turned her head, and Piper spoke, "Come on. There are more people to introduce you to."

Reyna wanted to argue that she didn't need to be introduced to anyone else. Instead, she was dragged forward and towards a group of two people. One she recognized as Frank. The other was a woman shorter than Reyna and probably younger. The woman had chocolate skin, curly hair, and golden eyes.

"Hey, Reyna. How are you doing?" Frank asked.

"I'm fine," Reyna muttered quietly. Her gaze moved to the other person.

"This is Hazel. She works as a waitress in the morning," Piper introduced. Reyna nodded slightly. Her eyes studied Hazel to see if she was a human or something else, but the girl had no defining features. Nothing stood out that told Reyna what she was. "Hazel, meet Reyna. She's our newest member of the bar: security."

"It's nice to meet you," Hazel said with a smile, and she extended her hand. After a moment, Reyna slowly shook it. "How are you liking the bar so far?"

"It's not bad," Reyna said after a moment. She clenched her fist tightly and tried not to let the tension go to the rest of her body. Reyna really didn't want to be introduced to anyone else. She would rather fade into the background and just be alone.

"Are you bothering her?" Clarisse questioned as she walked up to them. Reyna turned her head toward the ogress. "I thought I told you not to scare Reyna away."

"I'm not going to scare her away," Piper dismissed as she rolled her eyes. "I was just introducing Reyna to everyone at the bar."

"Without letting her eat anything first?" Clarisse countered. She gave Piper a look, but there seemed to be a lot of unspoken words between the two. "Come on, Reyna. Let's get some food and leave these losers alone."

Reyna wordlessly followed Clarisse towards the table. She couldn't voice her thanks, but she did give her trainer a grateful nod. Clarisse returned the nod, as if she understood. They made it towards the table, and Reyna studied the diverse spread. She settled on making herself a hamburger. From there, she would eat a taco and maybe an eggroll or five. Clarisse quietly filled her own plate.

"Everyone at this bar is a good person, but that doesn't mean you should be thrown into meeting them," Clarisse commented. She studied Reyna. "Take it at your own pace. I'll talk to Piper about not shoving you into strangers. Try to say hi to the others. At your own pace."

"I'll try," Reyna muttered after a few moments. Clarisse nodded and ate quietly. Reyna ate her burger before adding more of each new dish to her plate. She slowly moved closer to a group of people. While she didn't want to meet anyone else, she knew Clarisse was going to force her to do it.

Reyna would just introduce herself. It was two simple words. That was all she had to do. Say two simple words and just stand there and eat her food. Easy. Hopefully.

Reyna studied the group that she was moving to. Leo, the chef, was standing with Frank and Hazel. Another man stood near them. Reyna didn't recognize him. He looked to be younger than her, had blonde hair and blue eyes, and bright skin that almost seemed to shine in the sun.

"Enjoying the food?" Leo asked as he honed in on Reyna. It took her a moment to nod. "I helped Piper pick it all out."

"You must be Reyna, then. I'm Will," the boy with the blonde hair said. He studied her and smiled. Reyna saw how pointed two of his teeth, his fangs, were. A vampire? It seemed like he wasn't younger than her after all. "How's your stomach doing?"

"Will is the one who helped patch you up," Frank briefly explained. Reyna nodded slightly and tried to hide her frown by eating an eggroll.

"Thank you," Reyna said after a few moments. "What do I owe you?"

"Free of charge," Will promised. Reyna nodded slightly, but her eggroll didn't taste that good anymore. She looked away and tried to ignore the pit in her gut. It felt like another person that she owed. When was she going to stop owing people? "There is something you can do for me."

"Which is?" Reyna slowly asked. She hid her curled lip behind more food and couldn't help that her entire body tensed at Will's words. What the hell could he possibly want?

"Have you seen a boy around the bar? He never comes inside, but I swear I'll see him in the parking lot or nearby sometimes," Will explained. "He's pale, has black hair, and always wears this aviator jacket."

"Haven't seen him," Reyna answered truthfully.

"Will, everyone has been trying to find Nico. I think he's a goner," Leo chimed in. Will turned on him with a glare. "Not a goner like that! I just don't think he is going to show up again. Not after his sister died."

"Chiron has been trying to find him for two years now," Hazel said. There was a sad look on her face. "After what happened to Bianca, he hates us. I don't think he will ever come back."

"I just don't want him joining that Lycaon asshole," Will muttered. He shook his head and looked down. "I know he's already been bothering Jason, but Nico is going to be more susceptible. He'll get killed."

"Lycaon?" Reyna asked. A flash of pain ran through her skull as she thought of what happened with her meeting with Lycaon.

"He's a werewolf that thinks he owns this city. In reality, he runs a gang that is always causing trouble and trying to recruit people. He hates humans and goes out of his way to hurt anyone he thinks is a human," Leo explained. He shook his head. "I think he even tried to attack Annabeth before."

"Percy threw him into the ocean," Frank said with a small smile. He then frowned. "Lycaon is bad news. We'll have to show you a picture. If he ever comes around the bar, let Chiron know."

"Yeah," Reyna muttered, but she had no intention of telling anyone. Jason already told her not to, and it wasn't like it was anyone's business. Jason would just have to learn how to defend the bar himself.

"I'm worried about Nico too. If he gets caught up with Lycaon, he could get killed," Hazel added in a hushed tone. She looked away, but then a smile sprouted on her face. "Thalia!"

"Thalia?" Leo asked. He whirled around. "Thalia!"

Reyna turned her attention towards the person that everyone seemed to be focused on. The woman was a few years older than Reyna. She had spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. Two things caught Reyna's attention: the woman's scent and the items she was wearing.

"That's Thalia. She's Jason's older sister," Will informed. Reyna watched Jason walk towards Thalia, and her lip twitched. That scent was one Reyna knew well. It wasn't from Thalia herself, rather the items in pouches on her belt. The scent of a hunter and their items.

Thalia had a crossbow on her back. There would be plenty of bolts in her pouches. Reyna placed her plate down and watched everyone make their way to greet the newcomer. Reyna started to inch backward.

Why the fuck was a hunter there? Reyna tensed and kept backing away. She had to leave this party. It didn't matter what the others thought of her. She didn't care if it would seem rude. Reyna would not be in the same room as a damn hunter.

Reyna backed towards the shadows and looked around. No one was focused on her. Jason and Piper were both busy talking to Thalia. After a moment, Reyna took a few steps backward. When she was sure that no one would see, she slipped towards the door. Reyna threw her hood over her head, and she left the party.